Zero Gravity
by N. Silvutra Mayhem
Summary: There is one month unaccounted for between The World of C and the Zero Requiem. In that month, Forks gains a few new visitors, visitors that don't exactly have the best intentions in mind...
1. Advent 01: First Impressions

_A few things to note:_

_- The Twilight books will be set in the 'Holy Britannian Empire' instead of the 'United States of America'. Yes, I'm going with the Code Geass universe for this one, where Washington lost the Revolution. This means 'Washington' will be known as its former name, 'Columbia', and it will be 'Area 3'. There will be no other drastic name changes to reduce confusion. (e.g. Forks, Columbia, Area 3) — Sorry about this! ^^;_

_- When the Geass is used, the red ring does not exist. The symbol is only visible to other Geass holders (or equivalent, like C.C.). This will be explained._

* * *

><p><strong>Zero Gravity<br>**_by N. Silvutra Mayhem_

**Advent 01: First Impressions**

When you're on the run with the world's greatest criminal and woken without warning, it's never good news.

Suzaku wrenched his eyes open, at a poke to the side, expecting the dark—

—before falling into a bunch of crates when twin amber orbs appeared too close to his face. He hoped no one heard him yelp; they were supposed to be stealthy, after all.

"Is it my turn to keep watch?" he asked.

The amber orbs disappeared as C.C. blinked. She leant back to sit on her legs, green hair swishing as she did so. "No. Lelouch wants you."

"What time is it?"

Shrug. "Sundown, probably."

Suzaku pulled himself to his feet and lifted the makeshift curtain put up to hide the back of the truck. To his surprise, Lelouch wasn't in either seat, and he found the familiar mop of black hair peeking over the open bonnet. As if sensing his gaze, Lelouch looked up and gestured; the universal wave for 'come here'. Suzaku squished down the conflicting emotions of camaraderie and loathing that surfaced every time he met those demonic purple eyes, and did what he was asked.

As he jumped off the bottom step, he spoke first.

"Why have we stopped?"

"Do you have the torch?" Lelouch asked back.

Suzaku pat himself down, finding the miniature torch they'd gotten somewhere in Minnesota, and handed it across. Lelouch nodded, silent thanks, and then leant over the truck's internals with the tiny light to guide his way. For the next few moments, Suzaku ran a hand through messy brown hair and leant against the side.

He glanced around. In every direction he looked, there was nothing except the highway and the solar farms bordering it. Nobody else was on the road. He stuffed both hands into the pockets of his cheap trousers, wishing he had some other clothes. Even the stiff tailored Rounds uniform would have been favourable, but he and Lelouch had burnt it and Zero's suit to avoid being tracked.

They weren't turning back, so why bother keeping them?

A few soft footfalls made him start momentarily, footfalls belonging to Lelouch as the prince walked around to the door.

"C.C.!" he called.

Suzaku noted the tone, pitched in a way to ensure the words carried to where they needed to be and no further. A small shuffle later, C.C. poked her head through the curtain.

"What."

"Look for the backup-battery."

She rolled her eyes and retreated, not before Suzaku asked: "Why?"

"The battery is dry," Lelouch said. "These solar-powered transportation trucks usually have a spare."

"If there isn't?"

Lelouch didn't even blink, but the eyelids twitched open imperceptibly and leaving no doubt to what the action alluded to. "We'll have to make-do."

"Not your Geass again."

"Do you know of another solution?"

"We didn't need to use it to get this truck," Suzaku defended, even though he knew he'd buried his own grave as he did so.

"No," Lelouch agreed. They'd gotten it in Alberta, where he demonstrated his skills in hotwiring after Suzaku's stubbornness ("Hotwiring is different, there's always a chance you'll be caught!"). "But such an opportunity would not be present in this situation. Geass is the only option."

Suzaku glanced around again, to the endless, empty highway. Lelouch was right, there wouldn't be any cars lying around unattended, but before Suzaku could concede his pride was saved by C.C.'s reappearance.

"There isn't one," she said. "What now?"

'What now' indeed. Lelouch likely (—_definitely _– _it was Lelouch after all_) knew as well as he did that they needed the truck, because it carried a Sutherland Frame they'd borrowed and there was no knowing when they could get another. But the only way it could move again was if they could get power to it. With a dead battery and no sunlight to activate the solar panels on the roof, though...

Suzaku looked to Lelouch, and found the prince staring at the solar farms around them. He had _that look_ in his eyes, the super-analytical one, where calculation after calculation ran through his mind at lightning-fast speeds, the one he no doubt wore under the Zero mask every time—

A sudden too-bright flash of light appeared from the end of the highway, and when the light split into two Suzaku's assumption was verified. But Lelouch beat him once again. He waved a hand across his face, removing the contacts, and stepped further into the car's way whilst extending an arm with thumb pointing down.

Hitchhiker's sign.

The car approached, a shiny black convertible with a raised hood, and then slowed. Visible through the lit interior, the female driver scowled. Only when the car stopped could they see the shadow across her face was a large pair of sunglasses, perched on a dainty nose, and the short hair clipped just before her jacket's raised collar. She wound down the window and leant out, and Lelouch ran around to her side of the car.

Suzaku knew– sunglasses meant no direct eye-contact, which meant no ability to use Geass.

"What do you want, Brit?" she asked.

Lelouch smiled, disarmingly. "Our truck broke down, and I hoped you could give me a hand." She adjusted the sunglasses, looking further down the road again in an attempt to see past the truck in the way, but before she could speak Lelouch continued. "Would those be prescription, by any chance?"

She blinked. "Wha—How did you know?"

"It's simple. There would be no other reason for wearing sunglasses when it's so dark, and all your lights are on, brighter than usual."

"So what?"

Lelouch smiled. "Could I take a look at them? I've always been interested in optometry."

"Will you let me pass if I do?"

"Of course. You have a curfew to match, after all."

Her eyes narrowed, yet she hesitated. "Can you do whatever when if I just hold them?"

"I can—I'm only interested in inspecting the shape of the curve."

After a pause she nodded sharply, once, then wrapped her fingers tightly around the arms before removing them. Yet no matter how firm her grip would be, and no matter how briefly she intended to keep them off, Lelouch struck the instant her eyes weren't obscured.

"Do as I say!" he commanded.

Upon the Geass' activation, a faint tingling sensation occurred in the back of Suzaku's skull. It was probably from all the exposure to the power, and especially with his venture into the collective conscious making up C's World. He probably wouldn't get used to it, didn't want to get used to it, but knew he was getting used to it. The sinister ability responsible for tainting Euphy's final hours.

"Give me your phone," said Lelouch.

The woman did, handing over a slim blue cellphone which she retrieved from the glovebox.

Suzaku frowned at the ease in which Lelouch took it before inputting a number. "What are you going to do?"

"Call for another battery delivered," he said.

"How did you know she had a curfew?"

"A guess. She was in an abnormal hurry."

Lelouch cut the conversation there as he lifted the phone to his ear. He turned away during the call so Suzaku couldn't hear, the action through habit more than on purpose, and Suzaku occupied himself with staring alternately between his feet, the solar farm and the sun waving its last rays as it ducked below the horizon.

"Suzaku."

Suzaku looked back to his friend(—_nemesis_), finding that stunning(—_bloody_) purple gaze his way. As quickly as the overlayed image of Charles li Britannia appeared, it was gone. "Yeah?"

"Get back in the truck. You need to rest."

Initially, Suzaku wanted to argue, since despite the fact that he was running on a few hours of sleep, Lelouch probably didn't sleep at all. But a pointed glare from Lelouch's way spoke volumes: Lelouch would handle everything because he was the only one of them who _could_ handle everything, and allow them to continue without raising untoward suspicion. Even if the Geass was necessary in doing so – the less people with a chance to see the three together, the better.

Suzaku grit his teeth. "Fine. But..."

"But?"

"Remove the Geass' effect from the girl when you're done."

Lelouch watched him, and those bastard purple eyes bore through him again. Finally, he nodded once, the action sharp. "Very well. I understand."

A sense of disappointment accompanied those words, and Suzaku cursed what was surely his greatest weakness once more.

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**A/N:** I'm sorry for the lack of Twilight characters, but rest assured the woman _is_ in fact one and important in getting Lelouch-tachi and Bella-tachi to see each other. Next chapter you'll meet some more of the Twilight cast.

This story is at war for updates with my other Code Geass xover (_read it!_ :D). And I use reviews to judge. Just so you know. :)

**Next**—** Advent 02: A Not-So Pleasant Encounter**


	2. Advent 02: A Not So Pleasant Encounter

**A/N:** Honestly, I'm surprised the Twilight crossover has more readers than the Artemis Fowl crossover - you guessed it, this story's winning but the other isn't far behind. Huh, you're all probably _tsundere_.

I admit... I don't like this chapter. I feel like I'm taking too many creative liberties with Britannian!America. At least this is slightly less contrived than Bella-tachi miraculously being the first people in Forks that Lelouch-tachi meet...

* * *

><p><strong>Zero Gravity<br>**_by N. Silvutra Mayhem_

**Advent 02: A Not-So Pleasant Encounter**

Lauren frowned, and stopped in her tracks. It took one second for Tyler to notice his conversational partner no longer stood beside him. He slowed and jogged back, messy brown hair flopping as he did so.

" 'sup, Lauren?" he asked.

She didn't answer, at first, not even looking his way. She'd missed her curfew a few days ago, even though she could have _sworn_ she would've been on time, all because of some stupid block on the highway that had to be removed.

And that truck across the road was familiar, too familiar**—**

"**—**auren?"

She blinked, and felt the beginnings of a flush tickle her cheeks. "Yeah?"

"I didn't think you were so interested in trucks."

His tone was light-hearted, and she sent her retort easily without too much thought. From the truck, she saw a door open before a slim, dark-haired man stepped out, calling something to the others onboard. Lauren felt her frown appear again... there was something familiar about the guy, but no matter how hard she thought she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

...But she did know one thing, evident even from her distance.

"Britannian bastard," she muttered.

Tyler blinked. "What?"

"I missed curfew because that empty truck blocked off the highway," she replied easily, because that was what happened, but why did it feel so _wrong? _"Can't go out anymore."

"Ouch."

Lauren nodded, and re-shouldered her school bag. Struck by impulse, she walked to the edge of the road, looked both ways for traffic, and then ran across. Tyler's heavy footsteps followed behind. Something changed in the Britannian's expression when she approached, instantly smoothed back to normal. That change was more than enough to be an admission of guilt.

"May I help you?" he asked, smiling softly.

Without hesitation, she slapped him. Later she would reflect upon why, and come to the conclusion that years of annoyance at the Britannian Empire, and the frustration from her internal confusion all accumulated into one single output. Behind her, Tyler whistled.

The man brought a hand to the reddening mark to the side of his face. When he spoke, his tone was slightly disbelieving. "What was that**—**"

"Your face," Lauren replied. "And for blocking the highway."

The man blinked a few times, making her think he'd never been slapped before. But now she could think a little clearer, she noticed he was good-looking (**—**_for a Britannian_), his hair as soft, inky strands falling over high cheekbones. He was pretty and pale enough to be a Cullen, were it not for his striking purple eyes.

Maybe in different circumstances she would have liked him.

Then she scowled.

Maybe in different circumstances she would have liked freaking Bella Swan, as well, if the affections of _her_ Tyler hadn't been stolen away.

"Lelouch, you said she wouldn't remember us!" Another voice from inside the truck called.

Lauren could only see a shadowy figure, due to the glare caused by the reflection of the glass windows, but it was definitely masculine. Then the figure descent the stairs to stop beside the Britannian. Though his skin was darker, his sun-bleached hair and the sheer sincerity in his eyes made him attractive in his own way. They also screamed of a foreign ethnic background.

The two men stared at each other, a silent conversation. The man with the purple eyes **– **Lelouch, presumably **– **adjusted the cuffs of his jacket and shook his head at his companion, then turned back to her.

"My face shouldn't be reason enough for you to slap me," he said.

"There aren't Britannians stupid enough to come here **– **other than you," Tyler said, answering for her.

"Yet you live in Britannia," Lelouch replied.

"We don't consider ourselves that." He rubbed his hands. "You're lucky it wasn't me doing the hitting, but if you don't leave..."

He left the threat hanging in the air.

The unnamed man stepped forward. "I won't let you hurt him."

"Defending your Britannian friend, Number?"

"I'm Japanese," he replied. "And he's my _friend!_"

_"Hah, as if a Brit and a Number could be friends!"_

_"Hit him, Crowley!"_

_"Show the Britannians what we're made of!"_

Lauren glanced around to see a crowd had slowly formed a circle around them, as if some gladiatorial match was about to begin. All had furious faces and bloodthirsty cries. All cheering Tyler on.

Just as Tyler lost the battle between his conscience and the pack, bringing his arm back to punch, the shrill shriek of a siren stopped him launching his blow. A police car appeared around a corner, and the pack dispersed as quickly as they appeared. Lauren tugged at Tyler's sleeve, edging backwards.

"Let's go," she muttered. "We don't want to be here."

"But**—**"

"Really."

The police car slowed, and Lauren broke into a run. She didn't check if Tyler followed.

No, they didn't want to be there. Not at all.

* * *

><p>"Sorry I dragged you with me."<p>

Edward smiled, then leant over to kiss Bella on her forehead. "Don't worry about it."

It took every ounce of will for him to not rip her to shreds. But he was used to the effort, having to suppress his urges so in order to fulfill his need to be around her.

"It's just a lunch, though," she said.

"A lunch for _your_ father. Do you want me to check if he's busy?"

To her credit, Bella showed no reaction when he hinted to his supernatural powers. That was one of the reasons he loved her **– **one of his infinite, infinite reasons.

"That would be great."

Edward didn't need to close his eyes to concentrate his ability. He simply gathered up all the loose strands probing the minds of the people around him and concentrated them until he found the one that he wanted. It was easy to find Charlie Swan's mind; there was just something about it, something so _Charlie_.

It was a little unfortunate that trying to get Charlie's thoughts was like trying to see through bubble wrap. One could do it, it was just a little fuzzy, and easier to tell colours rather than detail.

Right now, Charlie was feeling concerned. _Those two... unhurt, Eleven and Britannian... friends?_

Bella's pace toward his office was slow, and Edward saw no rush in having her speed up. He didn't particularly mind Britannians. Forks was a place often left alone by the rest of the country, but there were some cells scattered around the town who disliked Britannia's treatment. Still, he preferred to keep his Bella away from a Number. She didn't need that influence.

"He's got visitors," Edward said finally, listening in a little more. "But they're finishing up, so we can wait outside the door."

"Sure," she said, and he felt his blood rush at her smile.

It turned out they didn't have to wait at all, because when they approached the door the Eleven walked out.

"Okay," the Eleven said to whoever was inside. Bella wouldn't have been able to hear either his words or his thoughts: _Confirm lodgings, some motel on some boulevard... Lelouch, geez..._

Then the Eleven was in front of them, looking to go past.

"Excuse me," he said.

Bella was staring. Edward knew without having to look at her, so he stepped aside to allow the Eleven though first.

"That was a Number," she said stupidly.

Edward heard the shuffle of cloth before the person's thoughts, and turned away from Bella to see another young man leaving Charlie's office. Impossible**—**could he block the ability to read minds so perfectly as well?

"Yes," the young man said, his voice smooth like silk. "An Eleven, to be accurate, miss."

Edward heard Bella's heartbeat falter, and he frowned. No boy should mess with her. Then he paid attention, and saw the black hair and pale skin, as well as his startling good looks. Could he have been a vampire?

"I**—**I see," she stuttered. "Is he your friend?"

"My first. You shouldn't be afraid of Numbers, they're still people."

"I'm not afraid." Just nervous. "But you're Britannian."

"Being Britannian doesn't matter. If you shoot a Number, they will die. If you shoot a Britannian, they will die as well. There's no difference."

"That's very morbid of you," commented Edward.

"It's the truth." He shrugged and walked past them, calling back: "Have good day."

Then he was gone.

Edward looked to Bella, finding her deep in thought. Not for the first time, not for the last time, he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about. He gave her a few moments that were long to his hyper-sensitive reactions and short to her human ones, then steeled himself and linked hands. As expected, he became more aware of the blood pulsing in her veins, and more aware about the strange(_—beautiful_) mix of lavender and freesia making up her scent.

_Take her_, his instincts screamed. _Take her! She won't fight back_**—**

—then Bella smiled up at him and he forgot everything, because she knew how much he cared and she knew how much the action hurt him, and he felt his heart lifting and nothing troubled him anymore.

She pulled away first. At that point, it didn't matter.

"He was nice, don't glare at him," she said.

Edward hid a wince; trust her to get to the point of the matter. "I can't help being protective of you, you know?"

"I know." Her heartbeat quickened, only slightly. "Do you think he was...?"

"I couldn't read him," he said. Her eyes widened. "Perhaps he was."

"But he had purple eyes."

Edward shrugged. "Maybe he's just a pretty human. Now, didn't you have some lunch to deliver?"

She smiled.

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**A/N:** It's hard for me to write the Twilight cast (Lauren and Tyler don't count, they're barely mentioned). I will do my best **– **it's part of this story's challenge, after all. Yeah, I'm not a Twilight fan, I'm just writing this because I want to show Twilight crossovers can be done and hopefully pull it off.

Reviews are love. :)

**Next— Advent 03: Painting the Picture**


	3. Advent 03: Painting the Picture

**A/N: **So this is far more well-received than I could have ever thought. Hmm, interesting. Hopefully this chapter answers some of your questions... or not really.

Thanks for the support~

* * *

><p><strong>Zero Gravity<br>**_by N. Silvutra Mayhem_

**Advent 03: Painting the Picture**

Lelouch thumbed the directory and idly watched the pages flush by. Briefly, he wondered if Suzaku, having taken a seat at the edge of a bed, would have cared or had any real suspicions to his motives.

Unlikely. He believed they were making preparations for the Zero Requiem, after all.

Devising the Requiem hadn't been difficult. It was the only option for either of them to redeem themselves; the only option where they could change their wrongs into something slightly less wrong, where their sacrifices would be for the _people_ and not to further their goals. They were drenched in the blood of their victims—they did not _deserve_ the opportunity to create their own goals.

But he remembered.

* * *

><p><em>22 days ago.<em>

Absolute Obedience. The power to control a person's mind and bend it to whatever form. It disregarded all predefined morals; it disregarded all the target's thoughts and principles; it was absolute.

It had tamed the gods. It killed both the wielder's parents. And yet, Lelouch could feel nothing but content as he blinked twin glowing, Geass-filled eyes. He had rejected Charles di Britannia and Marianne vi Britannia's ideals; neither mattered in the great scale, not anymore.

He'd killed his father. He'd found his mother's killer. The feeling knotted within deep within his chest could be nothing but relief.

Right?

"C.C.," he asked without turning around, still staring where the Ragnarok once stood tall, staring at nothing but the bleak, empty expanses of grey that echoed his heart. "Will you come too?"

"You want me to at least smile when I die, right?" Lelouch shot her a glance. She smirked at the reaction. "What are you guys going to do from now on?"

Standing stiffly in the gilded white uniform marking his place as a Knight of Round, Suzaku's grip on his sword wavered. "Huh?"

"You rejected Charles and Marianne's plan, and chose reality; to let the flow of time continue. But..."

"Yes," Suzaku muttered, sword falling into _en garde_. "I must have revenge on Lelouch for Euphy."

"So what?"

Lelouch turned around to stare his best friend down, an alpha commanding dominance from the pack.

"So what?" he repeated. "What happens after you kill me?"

"What... do you mean?"

"If you kill me, what will change? Euphy may be avenged, but what of your sins?"

"I... I—"

"The two of us are entrenched in sin. There should be a way to make amends, whilst redeeming the world to a better state."

"So you have a plan?" C.C. asked.

"Yes," replied Lelouch. "It will be the Zero Requiem—"

Before he could finish, the ground beneath them shook and buckled, as if an invisible goliath were rising from the cloudy depths. The ascent shattered, dissolving into nothingness, and the main platform began to crumble at the edges. The World of C was collapsing.

Their surroundings began to flash, and Lelouch stumbled over his feet—stopped from falling only by the firm grip on the back of his coat.

"Suzaku..." Lelouch mumbled.

"If you're going to die, I'm the one going to kill you," Suzaku stated. "Until then, I want to know what you mean by Zero Requiem."

Lelouch nodded. "Fine. C.C., how do we leave?"

"The door at Kamine Island is destroyed," said C.C.

"Then how did we get in?" Suzaku asked.

"I had a marker. If I try to leave, it's impossible to know where we'll end up."

"But we can still leave," said Lelouch.

"Yes. There are seven other Thought Elevators in the world. We'll most likely end up in one of them."

"I'll take that chance. Let's go."

* * *

><p>The chance landed them in the Province of New Jersey. It took a while for him to track things down, but with the aid of his Geass things were made significantly easier.<p>

"How long until preparations are complete?" Suzaku asked suddenly, breaking through Lelouch's thoughts.

"A while," replied Lelouch. "You should go find something to do until then."

Suzaku glanced up from where he was inspecting his sword against the yellow fluorescent lights, the only component of his Knight uniform he'd been allowed to keep. The slim silver blade was unmarked, the hilt understated, as the blade was nothing but a conventional ornament wielded after a three month crash course. There was no way to link it back to the Knight of Seven.

"I said; I'm staying with you until you die by my hand, and you can't make me change my mind."

"I had no intention of trying."

A scoff. "Where's C.C.?"

"She's still looking after the Sutherland. Why?"

"No reason."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow over the directory, then sighed. The thick book was placed on the table's surface, disturbing a few lingering dust motes, then he leant back in the cheap, plush chair by the window and steepled his fingers.

"Not here?" Suzaku asked, having looked up again at the sudden movement in the corner of his eye.

"No; it's unlikely."

"Are you _sure_ what we need is in the Olympic Peninsula?"

"It's the best lead yet."

"What if we don't find it?"

"We'll have to. It's a crucial part of the Zero Requiem."

Suzaku sheathed the sword and then placed it beside him. Then he fell back against the mattress, resting his head in his arms. "You say that, but it's only a matter of time until Schneizel acts."

"There is still a week before construction of the Damocles is complete. If we don't find it by then... we will have to continue the plan regardless."

A brief pause followed, as Suzaku frowned and mulled it over in his head. Then: "You said travel to Pendragon will take four days."

"Then we will see what we can do in the four still remaining. Tonight we'll stay here, then tomorrow morning we'll cover Port Angeles."

"Fine. As long as you fulfil your part of the deal."

Lelouch smiled. "Of course."

* * *

><p>The Cullen family home could often be described as timeless, three storeys of white-painted walls rising from the depths of the earth. It made a grandiose silhouette against the dark, endless forest that stretched to either side, an unfathomable impression on any who set eyes on its form.<p>

But after a century of nonexistence, such a sight could easily be ignored.

When he closed the front door behind him, Edward didn't bother announcing his arrival. Doubtless his family would have heard his Volvo before he even reached the driveway—failing that, Alice's precognition would have alerted them to the same thing. So it was to no surprise that Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie did not react when he entered the living room.

"Check," said Jasper. He glanced up toward Edward, the action more courtesy than necessity. "Welcome back."

_Don't say a word about that bishop,_ his thoughts added. One look at the chessboard easily revealed why, it being a snare lying in wait until the right moment to leap across the battlefield.

"Thanks, and don't worry about me," Edward replied. The corner of Jasper's mouth twitched in relief.

A scowl graced Emmett's features, even as he moved his rook to H-2. "You two are conversing again."

Edward shrugged. Something so obvious didn't need an answer.

"You know," he said instead, changing the subject, "I met someone today."

"Was she pretty?" asked Emmett, a little too quickly.

"It was a guy."

The sound of soft footfalls reached their ears, and Edward heard Alice's thoughts and felt the mental grin before he saw her at the bottom of the stairwell. "Was _he_ pretty?"

"I'm being serious," Edward said. "He blocked my ability."

A solemn chord entered the room at those words. All playfulness was gone; no normal human could block a vampire's skill. Yet despite the tension, the unnaturally calm and rational thoughts drifting from everyone's mind made Edward send a look of thanks in Jasper's direction.

"So that's why you seemed more concerned than normal when I saw you talking with Bella," said Alice.

"Did you manage to see him?"

She shook her head. "I only tuned in afterwards. You know, you really should be careful – I actually saw you ripping her apart. But I did get a fuzzy image of black hair. Is this the one?"

Edward scanned her thoughts. Fuzzy was an understatement, considering the image was nothing more than a black blob suspended atop another that could have barely been passed off as a body in the middle of the room. Even so—

"Yeah, that's him."

"So?" asked Emmett. "Have you tried searching for the guy?"

Alice crossed her arms. "Ask me after _you_ try looking for a floating snowman."

A toothy grin. "And that's why I don't."

"Anyway," she said, looking to Edward again, "do tell. What did he look like, how did he block the ability, whether his fashion sense was any good or not – the usual."

"I can't say anything about his fashion sense, but... he almost looked like one of us."

"Almost?" asked Rosalie, glancing up from the glossy magazine in her lap. _You can't be almost a vampire._

"Pale," Edward said, and began counting off his fingers. "Pretty. Inhumanly alluring. Only..."

"Only...?" said Emmett.

"Only with purple eyes."

"They could be contacts," said Rosalie.

"They could be, but I don't know. Oh, Emmett," he added, when a stray thought reached him, "you're in check."

Three pairs of eyes, everyone in the room who had been looking Edward's way, trailed down toward the chessboard. Jasper lifted his fingers off the bishop threatening the enemy king five squares away.

"Checkmate in three moves," said Alice, nodding solemnly. "King C-7, Knight B-5 takes Pawn and check again, King—"

Emmett didn't let her finish as he stood up and flung his arms into the air, knocking his stool to the ground.

"Alright, alright!" he said. "You win, you win. I'm going to stick to baseball."

Rosalie closed her magazine, and the sound of pages hitting pages was all too loud to sensitive ears. "Contacts don't hide golden eyes into purple."

"It's true that red eyes and blue contacts can make purple," said Alice, echoing the conclusion that settled in all their minds simultaneously.

"What about opaque contacts?" asked Jasper.

Rosalie was already shaking her head before he finished. "Opaque contacts don't work well with vampires, you know that. It cuts off a third of our vision."

"Hey, Edward," said Emmett, "I think you're forgetting something really important."

There was a brief pause when Edward heard the thoughts. Then he closed his eyes, and lifted a hand to massage his temples. In that time, Emmett reached down to the stool to prop it upright and sat on it again.

"Wait, let me get this straight." Emmett said, leaning forward. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Serious about what?" said Jasper.

"This guy, mind reader extraordinaire and one of the smartest people alive right now – well not alive, per se, but you know what I mean," Emmett added, "didn't check if the guy had a _heartbeat_."

Edward rolled his eyes then headed for the staircase, amidst Alice's giggles and Rosalie's flat stare.

"If you need me," Edward said, "I'll be in my room."

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**A/N:** The Twilight cast, as usual, are more iffy on characterization than the Geass ones, though I did go for a sibling approach. Whilst re-reading for the description of the Cullens' house, I do have to give Meyer one thing – her narrative style is pretty nice. If only the characters were as good.

Please review, I'd love to hear what you think so far. :)

**Next— Advent 04: Death of a Friend**


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